Weekly Round-up

It’s 80% likely we’ll attend a tournament near the end of April. We have three potential students who are being encouraged to try so if at least two decide yes then it’s a go.

For sure if we go I’m going to compete in weapons. It will be my first time trying that and probably my last. Regardless, if I can keep the performance anxiety under wraps I think I stand a shot at placing. I’ve been practicing this kata for over a year now so the main battle is with myself. The other problems are the nunchuks and my uniform. The kata is non-traditional and emphasizes speed and flash. To help with that I purchased lighter rattan cane chuks which naturally spin faster. Then I shortened the chain to 2″ which makes them go even faster still. At home I practice the kata in a t-shirt or long sleeve shirt. However, I recently discovered that when I try the kata in my heavy weight TKD uniform, occasionally the lighter chuks get snagged which throws off the whole routine. The solution seems to be wearing a lighter uniform. In the TKD world you can buy different uniform weights. I’ve found that the heavier ones just hold up better so I prefer those. However in sparring there are people who think that a light uniform makes them faster (I think that’s bunk btw). Anyhow, I’ll have to wear an older and lighter uniform top when I do the kata and hope I don’t get snagged.

We get two events with the entry fee (beyond two is extra) so besides weapons I probably will break. One of the challenges with breaking is that I have to work within my physical limits. Less face it, at 40 I am not as aerial as the 20-year-olds. So this limits the “flash factor”. I have three potential breaks and I’ve tried to make them challenging to impress the judges:

• Inside crescent speed break where the holder extends his/her arm and holds the board on it’s edge, pointed away
• Hammer fist on four solid boards (no spacers)
• Tossing two solid boards (taped together) in the air with my left hand and breaking with a right punch

I’m going to get some wood this weekend and test the first and last break at class. I’ve done the hammer fist on four solid before. In the back of my mind I wonder if I can do five solid but I’m too scared to try! First, the break actually hurts and my wrist and hand was sore for a week after. Second, breaks with no spacers are dangerous and five could be my limit. I’d really hate to break my hand at a tournament so we shall see.

I did a variation of the crescent at my school black belt test. The only difference is I did two solid which were held in place by two people. Oddly, with my long legs, the inside crescent is one of my power, speed, and accuracy kicks so I think I can pull off a speed break with it.

After the last test and after a month of post-test practice I’ve given up on my original board toss break. At that test I tossed one board in the air and snapped out with the same hand and broke it. The problem is I can’t seem to get any better than 1 in 3 tries.  I either break the first time or it takes me three tries. At a tourney you get only two chances so I really don’t like those odds.

So I reworked it. I have a practice board that’s wrapped in foam and duct tape. What I’ve been playing with is tossing it up with my left hand and hitting it in free-fall with my right. After the same hand toss failures I’ve found that with this break I hit the sweet spot more often and with more power. So I *think* I could break two taped together.

The only other thing I might do is stop-action point sparring. I really don’t like stop-action sparring but it’s a lot safer than continuous contact. I’m too close to the big test to get hurt now so I’ll probably pass on continuous. In fact, I doubt I’ll even spar because I am currently as injury-free as I’ve ever been.

I’ve had warning signs from my hip for about a year now. Best case scenario is I’m over training and worst case is I’m burning the joint. Given the fact that I know more than a few taekwondo and karate guys who have had hip replacements I’m not taking any chances here.

In the last month I’ve re-structured how I train and I’ve noticed less pain. So, this makes me think I could be over training. In fact, given my approach to other activities, this would not surprise me at all (e.g. 17 years of running led to a herniated disc and cervical fusion in my neck). I’ve cut back on the frequency of kicking at home, eliminated certain exercises like the pylometric jump, and put myself back on the low-shock stair-stepper once a week (I HATE the stair-stepper). Finally, aside from if they appear in class, I’ve totally stopped any attempts at most of the flashy advanced kicks because they are too much stress on that joint. The only kicks I’m worrying about those that I will be tested on at the cho dan confirmation test and they are challenging enough.

And if we don’t go to this tournament I won’t be heartbroken at all. My main goal is to finalize cho dan and then start thinking about what happens next with my martial arts journey.

~BCP